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TAPPER: David Axelrod said something that the president has been saying for a long time, which is that Republicans are holding the middle-class tax cuts hostage. I understand it, Democrats haven't introduced a bill in the Senate, and the Republicans have. Wouldn't there have to be a bill that Republicans are threatening to block or blocking before anything is being held hostage?

GIBBS: I don't know what bills have been introduced in the Senate. Obviously, I think the -- the posture of -- I don't think the bill would have to be the existence of -- I mean, I think their rhetoric alone, from Senator McConnell and others, have been that the price of -- there's a $700 billion price tag on moving forward on the tax cuts for the middle class. That's the tax cuts for the wealthy.

GIBBS: Well, absolutely. And, you know, look, we -- I've said this -- it's now been a couple of weeks, obviously, but, you know, we -- we -- we agree on -- we agree on the middle-class part of this, or so they say. Their price tag for the middle class was the $700 billion. We could have passed the middle class alone, provided some much needed certainty to -- to the economy and to middle-class families, and had -- still had plenty of time to debate the $700 billion price tag for -- for the other cuts.

TAPPER: Why not do that? Why not introduce the bill...

REPORTER: Why not get Republicans on the record?

TAPPER: ... and -- and force Republicans to filibuster that?

GIBBS: They were unwilling to do that. They were unwilling to...

REPORTER: But who has the power to introduce the bill?

Gibbs goes on to explain to Jake Tapper, who is apparently unfamiliar with the true scope of GOP powers, that Republicans are simply using their jujitsu mind control to prevent Democrats from introducing a bill. Well, that, and the substantial number of Dems who are siding with Republicans against the president on this issue, and wish to extend all the tax cuts:

GIBBS: But -- but John Boehner said quite clearly on Sunday that he would go along with the middle-class stuff, right? Then fury rained down, and quickly we crawfished back over to, well, well, wait,middle- class, it's going to -- the price for doing middle-class is tax cuts for the wealthy. And -- and we could have done middle-class.